STRIKER: Independent Beast Tamer

5th Zone, City A

Beast Taming Association,

The flying cab reached the Beast Taming Association ten minutes later and landed in the parking area. Jeremy stepped out and paid the fare before striding toward the Association building.

He walked inside, his gaze wandering briefly before landing on the staff member seated behind the desk. As Jeremy approached, the middle aged man sensed his presence and looked up.

”How may I help you?” he asked.

”I want to take a solo mission,” Jeremy Night said in a serious tone.

The staff member glanced at him, quickly gauging his strength.

Seeing that Jeremy was a Tier-3 Beast Tamer, he nodded and directed him to the mission hall located to the left. Jeremy thanked him and headed that way.

The hall was crowded with Beast Tamers standing in lines, most of them in groups. Jeremy joined one of the queues. He felt more at ease now; no one was giving him strange looks because he was now a Tier-3 Beast Tamer.

...

Red Moon Chamber

Melinda and the Tier-5 Beast Tamers arrived at the sitting area. They saw that everyone was present except for the newcomer.

Melinda frowned; she had specifically told Jeremy Night to be there for the team meeting.

”Team Leader, Jeremy Night did come here earlier, but he left all of a sudden,” Freya said seriously.

Melinda turned toward Theo, who nodded in acknowledgment. The four Tier-4 Beast Tamers confirmed the same thing; they had all witnessed Jeremy leaving the premises.

”Since he isn’t here, let’s continue the discussion without him,” one of the Tier-5 Beast Tamers suggested.

Melinda sighed inwardly. She decided she would speak to Jeremy after the meeting. Everyone took their seats and began the team discussion.

...

Beast Taming Association

When it was Jeremy’s turn, he told the staff member he wanted to take a solo mission.

”A solo mission?” the female staffer asked. ”We’ve just released new ones. You can check them on the screen.”

Jeremy thanked her and turned his gaze to the monitor. Numerous missions appeared, and he began scanning the details.

[Mission: Collect 20 bodies of Tier-3 Hybrid Beasts. Time limit: 3 Days. Reward: 10,000 Credit Points.]

[Mission: Collect dry dotted leaves of Grade 4 Thorn Trees. Time Limit: 7 days. Reward: 20,000 Credit Points.]

Jeremy’s gaze paused on the second mission. He had done a similar mission not long ago, but he hadn’t expected the Association to have another one like it so soon.

He wasn’t stupid; he suspected there might be a catch. However, seeing the staff member waiting, he made his choice.

The one week time limit was generous, and he didn’t want to worry about running out of time. If an unexpected situation arose, he felt he could handle it.

”I’ll take this mission,” Jeremy said.

”Give me your license,” the staff member requested.

He handed over his Beast Taming License. She accepted the ID and began the registration.

Despite the queue behind him, the crowd waited patiently. It didn’t take long for the process to finish, and she handed back his license.

Jeremy received a notification on his device containing the mission details. He thanked her and turned to leave.

A glint flashed in the staff member’s eyes as she watched him go; she knew the dangers surrounding solo missions, especially this one. She could only hope the Beast Tamer would be successful.

Jeremy exited the building and returned to the parking area.

He approached a cab driver and asked to be dropped off at the Beast Taming Store to buy necessary supplies. The middle aged driver agreed. Jeremy climbed in and sat back as the car began to move.

Swoosh!

The cab hovered above the ground and sped toward the store. As Jeremy watched the scenery pass by, he figured Senior Sister Melinda had likely arrived by now and the team meeting was proceeding without him.

Ten minutes later, the cab stopped in front of the store. Jeremy stepped out, paid the fare, and turned toward the entrance. He needed to refill his supplies and purchase some new life-saving items.

Inside, he approached the staff and listed several items. While the staff member went to retrieve them, Jeremy looked around.

His gaze fell on the combat uniforms, masks, gloves, and boots. He already had a uniform, but the mask, gloves, and boots caught his attention. After checking the prices, he decided to add them to his purchase.

Shortly after, the staff member returned and placed the items on the desk. Jeremy checked them one by one.

Among them was a vital item: Grade 5 Toad Poison. It was one of his trump cards; if his starlight power ever ran out, the poison would be his fallback.

”I’ll also take the white mask, white gloves, and black boots,” he told the staff.

The staff member was surprised; usually, only rich young masters bought such gear. She went to fetch them, and Jeremy was pleased to find the prices were within his budget.

He checked his handgun ammunition and found it sufficient. He wondered if he should test his new starlight threads with the bullets during this mission.

Once the final price was settled, Jeremy stored everything in his storage ring, paid, and walked out of the store.

His next destination: the wilderness.

20 minutes later,

He arrived in front of the city gate. He showed his ID before entering the wilderness. Just as he walked for a couple of metres, his device rang up.

He took the device and saw who was calling to him. The person was none other than Sister Melinda.

He attended the call.

”Jeremy, where are you?”

”We had a discussion about the next team mission. You missed out,” Melinda’s voice sounded from the other end.

”Team Leader, I have taken a solo mission from the Beast Taming Association. I’m at the wilderness entrance right now.”

”I can’t join the team for the mission this time, I apologise,” Jeremy said to her.

Melinda was shocked this time. She didn’t expect him to do the solo mission this time again.